It is previously known to measure the flatness of polished metal surfaces by interference methods or by reflection methods. Both methods have specific limitations which makes it difficult to fully utilize them. The present invention combines both methods, which improves the accuracy and is easier to automatize than either method alone.
Interference methods utilize preferably monochromatic light, which is split in two optical rays, one reflected from the surface to be measured and the other reflected from a high quality flat reference surface. The two optical rays are merged and form an interference pattern of dark and light stripes, where the distance between stripes is reversely proportional to the angular misalignement and the ratio between the curvature of the stripes and their distance is proportional to the height profile. A limitation with interference methods is that if the angles in the optical paths are chosen to give great distance between stripes, the height profile can be measured with high accuracy but only along a few lines on the surface, and if the angles are chosen to give shorter distances between stripes, the height profile can be measured along several lines on the surface but with lesser accuracy. There is a considerable risk of overlooking local defects.
Reflection methods illuminate the surface from a point source of light, and in an image plane there is a continuous two-dimensional light distribution related to the flatness deviations for all points of the surface. The light distribution can be converted by mathemathical methods to a map of the deviation from flatness, and local smoothness defects such as scratches and grinding marks are clearly visible. For the mathematical conversion it is important to know the angular alignment of the surface very accurately.